Monday Bears: New Strokes video - Taken for a Fool

Late last week, the Strokes released the B-Side version of "Taken for a Fool," which by now everyone knows features Elvis Costello (who came out for the song's performance during their last Madison Square Garden show).

Well, the group finally premiered the actual video for the song a few days ago (arguably the best track on Angles). Green screen in all its visualizer glory.

The Strokes - Taken for a Fool

Tuesday Bears: Bears and Bullets Top 25 Songs of 2010 (Pt. II)

We'll continue our top 25 countdown with songs #20 through #16.

#20: On Melancholy Hill - Gorillaz
Damon Albarn's return to the studio as cartoon band frontman for Gorillaz yielded "Melancholy Hill" on an album that, more often than not, showcased the talents of others: Bobby Womack, Mos Def, Snoop Dogg, etc. The song stands alone on Plastic Beach as Albarn's highest achievement because it's only him. Aside from the plush synth drives, Albarn showcases what so many Blur fans remember from the 90s; a solemn and lonely voice that drives toward subtle beauty.

Gorillaz - On Melancholy Hill



#19: Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) - Arcade Fire
"Sprawl II" is, in a way, the furthest departure Arcade Fire have ever taken from their coined sound. Regine leads the bass-heavy and synth-driven charge of an Earth catapulting spring that invokes her to scream "sometimes I wonder if the world's so small." It should be taken with a grain of salt, because there have been few times that Arcade Fire have sounded bigger

#18: I Think Ur a Contra - Vampire Weekend
Contra, as Vampire Weekend's second studio effort, came off to some fans as a bit more bumpy and rushed as its self-titled preprocessor - but that argument always seems to follow any band that explodes off a debut (Strokes, anyone?). However, "I Think Ur a Contra," and it is spelled that way, is, for a moment, cold and sad. There have been very few, if any moments in Ezra Koenig's short career that he has sounded so warm that even his minuscule heartbreak seems distant from "Contra's" wintry beauty.

#17: Rill Rill - Sleigh Bells
Oddly enough, Sleigh Bells softest moment from their ear-bashing (in a good way) debut Treats proved to be the record's most endearing track. The jagged guitar, borrowed a bit from Funkadelic, turns away from the group's typically bombasting approach, to turn on sly, jubilant and - most important here - catchy rhythm that escalates into a drifty high school daydream.

#16: Yulia - Wolf Parade
Wolf Parade, the now either defunct or on indefinite hiatus band, hasn't gotten their fair share of compliments since their 2005 debut Apologies to the Queen Mary. With what may have been the band's last work, Expo 86, the group produced "Yulia," a harrowing and true song about Soviet cosmonauts from the 50s that were lost in space to drift along through eternity. But focusing on the bleakness, and in a way, Wolf Parade's departure, takes away from the stark love song that "Yulia" turns into. Indeed, its face front value is something completely different, but here it can't stop from sounding so engrossing and tearful.

Wolf Parade - Yulia



Stay tuned, we'll return tomorrow for songs #15 - 11.

Monday Bears: Lollapalooza 2010 Must-See Artists, Pt. IV

The final day before my departure is here, so I better be quick with this whole list thing. Here's part IV.

#4: Phoenix
The French quintet has basically been everywhere since the release of the critically and commercially successful Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix release last year. The group, however, has pumped out several LP's since their 2000 debut United. While it has been a slow and steady climb, the band has seemed to reach their surprising peak.

Phoenix made appearances at Bonnaroo and Coachella in the past, but 2010 will be the first time in the group's ten-year history at Lollapalooza. For a band that seemed to be so underrated by many for the better part of last decade, Phoenix are now sharing the headlining spotlight with five of the festival's biggest acts - likely for the largest show of their career.

Phoenix will close out the second night of the festival on the Budweiser stage at 8:30, Saturday, August 7. Fans can also meet the band at 5:30 at the F.Y.E. Tent the same day.

Phoenix - 1901



#3: The Strokes
A band I'd begun to think I'd never have the pleasure of seeing, The Strokes (and not just Julian Casablancas or Albert Hammond Jr's solo work) are over four years-removed from their last produced work as a cohesive unit. First Impressions on Earth, the group's third studio record, seemed for a while to be the last anybody would hear from the suddenly iconic New York garage-rock group.

News of the quintet have been low, aside from various solo and side projects, since their last release. In 2009, word of a new album from the whole group had been rumored, but nothing was made official until earlier this year. Along with news of a new album (expected release some time next month), the Strokes also announced they'd be playing their first shows in the states in nearly half a decade. Though new shows are few and far between, the group is set to be one of Lolla's primary headliners.

The group will close out the first night of the festival on the Budweiser stage at 8:30, Friday, August 6. You can also catch the band at the Outside Lands and Austin City Limits festivals later this year.

The Strokes - You Only Live Once



Check in Later for Part V ...

Tuesday Bears: Lollapalooza 2010 schedule revealed

Now I have nothing left to wait for but my annual Chicago vacation.

Lollapalooza announced earlier today their official schedule for their 2010 festival with their usual assortment of conflicting set times and empty hours. Let's break it all down:

Day One: Friday, August 6 marks the opening day of the festival, and is jam-packed, unlike last year's lackluster opening day. Noise-something duo Wavves will start my festival early at 12:15 p.m., with The Walkmen, playing a surprisingly early 1:00 p.m. set shortly following. Raphael Saadiq, The Big Pink and Cymbals Eat Guitars all follow until 4:00 p.m., when fans will have to decide between The New Pornographers and Devo.

Shortly following, we encounter another Day One conflict; Fuck Buttons, Matt & Kim and The Dirty Projectors will all begin their sets at 5:00 p.m. Only an hour later, The Black Keys and Hot Chip will begin their sets, with Jamie Lidell starting at 6:30.

Day One will be closed out by The Strokes and Lady Gaga.

Day Two: Compared to Day One, Day Two is a relative breeze. It starts with the Morning Benders at noon, for a measly half-hour set, then Harlem and Rogue Wave begin at 1:00 p.m. Then, I expect to cruise through Stars, Gogol Bordello, Grizzly Bear, Deer Tick, Spoon and Cut Copy, all the way until Phoenix headlines at 8:30.

It's worth noting that Green Day, who is the other Day Two headliner, will play a two hour and 15 minute set - the longest set I've seen scheduled for a long time.

Day Three: Day Three looks a bit more like Day One, with a handful of conflicts arising at the end of the day.

It starts with HEALTH and The Antlers at 11:30 a.m. through noon, then Dodos, The Cribs and Blitzen Trapper play at 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Then, another conflict; indie-upstarts Freelance Whales, Minus the Bear and Mumford & Sons all begin at 3:00 p.m. So, choose wisely.

Yeasayer begin their set at 4:00 p.m., in what turned out to be a pretty easy choice. However, at 5:00 p.m., another conflict a-la Day One arises. Frightened Rabbit, Erykah Badu and MUTEMATH all begin at the same time, so again, think carefully.

Then, another series of conflicts: at 6:00 p.m., MGMT and Wolfmother both perform. While this decision may be a little easier for some people, MGMT have a just reputation to suck live. That being said, The Temper Trap also begin their performance at 6:30 p.m. The National follow at 7:15 p.m., and then The Arcade Fire and Soundgarden will close out the festival.

So that's the jist of it, except for Perry's Place. You can check out the entire schedule below, or just head over the festival website.

Day One (Friday):

Day Two (Saturday):

Day Three (Sunday):

Tuesday Bears: Official Lollapalooza lineup revealed

One day after Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune leaked what was to be believed as the "official" Lollapalooza lineup, festival promoters have announced the legitimate lineup. And, in an ironic (or completely un-ironic twist), Kot was 100 percent on the money.

Indeed, the reunited Soundgarden, Lady Gaga, Green Day, Arcade Fire, Strokes and Phoenix are scheduled to headline the 2010 festival, with other notables, such as Spoon, The New Pornographers and The National, among others, making up a portion of the mid-tier acts.

The festival will host a couple retro and legendary acts, such as reggae legend Jimmy Cliff, Devo and Cypress Hill, who appeared with Soundgarden at the first Lollapalooza in 1992. Perry's Place looks to replicate the fantastic success of 2009, landing 2manydjs, Empire of the Sun and Digitalism, among others, to lead the electro charge.

Despite the relatively improved headliners from last year and what appears to be another stellar stack of performers at Perry's Place, 2010's lineup (like 2009) appears to be a tad lacking, a la Bonnaroo. After various rumors had The Flaming Lips set to headline, the Oklahoma band is a no-show, which is likely the reason why Phoenix was thrown in as the sixth. Along with the disproved rumors possible appearances from David Byrne, Dangerdoom, Public Enemy and Against Me!, the mid-tier and lower groups look a bit light. Put that together with a superior Coachella lineup (it really is amazing), and fans may have some legitimate gripes this year.

However, with the seemingly last second inclusions of acts like Erykah Badu, The Walkmen, Harlem, Health and Wavves, this year may prove to be a little more full than meets the eye.

Three-day tickets for the Chicago festival, held from August 6-8, are available now. You can check out the whole lineup yourself here.

Stay tuned for more news regarding anything and everything Lolla ...

Wednesday Bears: Lollapalooza lineup all but leaked

Earlier today, Lollapalooza promoters started the initial leak of their 2010 lineup, Wheel of Fortune style. After Bonnaroo leaked their lineup in a new, viral fashion several weeks ago, the Chicago festival's promoters are putting their own spin on the idea; Hang Man.

At noon today, a day after the first batch of tickets officially went on sale ($190 right now), the model (see above) for the lineup was released on the festival's Web site, revealing the letter "O." And from that lone vowel, plus the combination of inside information and rumors, about 60-70 percent of the whole lineup has been basically figured out.

As I mentioned previously, Soundgarden, Green Day, Arcade Fire, The Strokes, Lady Gaga and Phoenix look to be the main six headliners, with The National, New Pornographers, Hot Chip and Dirty Projectors, and others filling in the likely sub-headline spots.

Other artists that I haven't mentioned, but look to be included, are Spoon, Wolfmother, David Byrne, Dangerdoom, Grizzly Bear and the Black Keys, among others. Check out Consequence of Sound's somewhat completed map here for what has been figured out so far.

Check back later for more rumors.

Monday Bears: Lonely Island and Julian Casablancas digital short for "Boombox."

Last Saturday's SNL featured yet another video (digital short) from the Lonely Island's legendary Incredibad album. This time around, Andy Samberg got help from Julian Casablancas, bringing a "Boombox," and lively-hood to a New York City that has been drolled down by a society like a boiled goose.

In other Strokes' related news (which is actually happening), the band just announced their plans to release their fourth studio album this coming September, along with their official confirmation to be one of the headliners at this year's Lollapalooza.

Lonely Island (ft. Julian Casablancas) - Boombox (SNL Digital Short)

Wednesday Bears: Lollapalooza 2010 Rumors Begin

As it is every year with Bears and Bullets, I like to keep you guys up to date as much as possible with all of the rumors for my favorite summer music festival, Lollapalooza.

With the festival's 2009 paltry headliners in the rear-view mirror, 2010 looks to up the ante and then some for ticket-holders. As of today, multiple sources indicate that the headline list could resemble something in the mold of: Arcade Fire, Lady Gaga, The Strokes, Green Day, the recently re-united Soundgarden and The Flaming Lips, with artists like Phoenix, MGMT, Dirty Projectors, Yeasayer and Hot Chip also making the possible billing.

I'll continually keep you up to date on anything and everything Lollapalooza until the August 6-8 Chicago, IL festival.